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Zoe said: “It’s going to be a huge week and one that will have viewers gripped.

“It’s been a magical few months of filming. There’s a real buzz in the building. We all feel very lucky to have been involved with this storyline and this week of episodes. The stunts have been incredible and every department has worked so hard on this. The scripts are brilliant, it’s just all been a real pleasure.

“Viewers won’t know who has died until the last episode and it will be a big shock.”

Since Paddy’s return from Germany in the summer, tensions have been building with Pierce and Rhona feels caught in the middle.

She invites Pierce to a school play but he can’t make it as he has a business trip. Marlon then urges her to invite Paddy instead, which she reluctantly does, even though she knows it is the right thing to do.

Pierce’s trip then gets moved and he’s available after all so she tells a little white lie that all the tickets are sold out.

Things take a dark turn for Rhona, Pierce and Paddy

Zoe said: “Rhona has the best of intentions and doesn’t set out to hurt Pierce. He finds out and confronts her and says the issue is not about the fact that she has taken Paddy to the play but that he thinks she can’t let Paddy go.

“She resents this and it escalates into something quite spectacular. It’s probably their first lovers’ tiff but it is an almighty one. It gets a bit loud and a bit hairy and he storms off, leaving her.

“She immediately regrets everything that has fallen out of her mouth, as you do when you have had a heated argument.

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“She spots that her son Leo has left one of his favourite soft toys and uses it as a lame excuse to go and find Paddy and Marlon. They're the two people who make her very happy and make her laugh and that’s kind of what she feels like she needs at that moment.

“She gatecrashes Paddy and Marlon’s camping trip but when Pierce calls to apologise, she tells him she’s at home. He hangs up on her but it’s revealed he’s standing in Smithy Cottage, furious at being lied to.”

This does not go down well with Pierce and looks set to ignite something really big. Will he forgive her for not being truthful and spending too much time with Paddy?

Zoe said: “Paddy broke Rhona’s heart and she quickly started a relationship with Pierce. It took her mind off the pain Paddy’s affair caused her. I think there will always be something between Rhona and Paddy but it would be hard to get them both to admit it at this point.

Week begins with a funeral ... but who's died?

“Rhona still loves Paddy. There’s a softness and a gentleness, but circumstances mean it’s just impossible right now for them to have anything other than that.

“Just before the big episode they have a heart-to-heart. She lets Paddy down gently and it’s a heartbreaking moment for them both.

“She wants to commit to Pierce and knows right now she just can’t be with Paddy. It’s going to be a rocky road ahead with plenty of drama”.

As well as Emmerdale and Coronation Street, Zoe has also appeared in EastEnders, making her one of the few actors to have appeared in all three of the big soaps.

She said: “I only did about three episodes in EastEnders but people seem to like the fact I’ve done all three. I didn’t realise when I took on the job in EastEnders, even for just three episodes, that it would be putting me in an elite club. So I have done two stints on Coronation Street and two stints on Emmerdale, the northern soaps, and one very brief stint on EastEnders. And, ironically, I am actually from the East End.”

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She has no driving ambition to pop the bubble on her current soap home either, especially as Emmerdale recently took the top prize at this year’s Inside Soap Awards – claiming the coveted Best Soap title for the second year running.

The Yorkshire-based show beat competition after a string of explosive plots and standout performances.

Zoe said: “We’ve had so many amazing storylines and seem to be on fire at the moment.

“Everyone who is part of the show really cares about it and it’s a very happy ship. I think we cover a lot of tough subjects close to people’s hearts.

“Our job is to tell stories and to document real life as best we can. It can be harrowing and emotional but I think that’s why Emmerdale is such a success because we don’t shy away from hard-hitting subjects.